Insert Destiny
by Shujin1
Summary: Kevin Algemeiner was an aging divorcee with a life going nowhere fast. Until he falls into the universe of Star Ocean. Now his life is going too fast as he discovers that the creation of the Destruction Gene was not a one time deal.
1. Insert Destiny

**Author: **Self inserts are usually about some teenager getting sucked into their favorite world so I decided to do something different.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Jack. Slavery is illegal.

**_Insert Destiny_**

* * *

_ If I told you what had happened to me, you wouldn't believe it. I would probably be locked up in a nuthouse, wrapped in a strait jacket and slurping Jello. No one could ever believe my story; __**I**__ am not sure I believe myself. If I could, I would pass it off as fatigue, mid-life crisis or something. But I was on vacation, imagination tends to fade with age and I tend not to hallucinate. It wasn't a dream. The emotions in my heart are still there, the scars are still there…I will never look at a game the same way again. It was my reality, my decisions and my mistakes. _

* * *

"I hate you. I hate you!" I watched her run away feeling oddly numb. I had the sudden desire to burst out laughing but that would have been tactless of me considering my own daughter has just claimed to hate me. What can you do? I never knew what was going on upstairs with teenagers. They're like aliens. They scream when their born, scream as a toddler, calm down a little and just when you think it's finally over they start screaming again as adolescents. As I sat down on my comfy couch, I was tempted to blame the mother. Very tempted but it wasn't my style. It never was. Maybe I should start.

But not right now. When I stop to think about it, Cassie's little tantrum was probably my fault. Her biological father is in Italy, must be hard on her with his frequent business trips. Probably hard on my ex too. But honestly, how was I supposed to know that I am not supposed to comment on her math test? I thought that was what was expected but I guess not.

I have no idea how the argument started. She got a C; I said it wasn't good and that she could do better then BAM! I'm accused of hating her, her father, her mother, her dog, being a child molester and a generally not very nice person. Made no sense to me at all so I just stood there with my mouth open so wide I could catch a horse.

Maybe she's an android and 'C' was the trigger for verbal defense against everything and anything.

I laughed at myself quietly, so not to disturb the angry daughter still banging her door, and sat there. I think too much. That is my problem. I start out rational and then I degrade into nonsense.

Out of sheer boredom, I started to read the post-it notes Cassie had made about her games. She brought quite a few of them and even told me about one. Shooting Star or something…Star Comet, no, it was a body of water. Star…Eerie? Another thing about age, memory starts to suck. Let's see, Star…Star…Ocean. Whatever, weird name regardless but it sounded interesting. It was what kept her from speaking to me the first three days she was here so it must have some kind of appeal.

I flipped through the notes and found it. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. Voila. Her door was still banging. I was going to have to pay for that but at the moment, I could care less. If she was going to do that all day then so be it. It's been about twenty years since I played a video game anyway.

I crept forward and flipped through the stacked games: Final Fantasy VII, Legend of Zelda whoever, another Final Fantasy…and that's when I found it. I snickered to myself as I popped it into the unassuming black box. Cassie was still banging doors. She was going to miss this old fellow play her favorite video game. Pathetic way to get back at her but it was already making me feel better about myself.

The game started up and I felt an odd sense of vertigo as I tried to get my hands to fit the controller. How on earth can people play with these things!? They were bulky and had too many buttons than what was good for anything.

I have to admit though; despite the designer-mistake controls the graphics were stunning. It also made me feel old as I remembered some of the spaceship designs from way back. 42 wasn't that old and yet this game made me feel as if I should be suffering from Alzheimer's. The sounds pouring from the speakers were of a better quality than anything I remember but the setup was the same.

In other words, press a button to start was the only thing I knew.

It gave me choices…Universal level, widescreen, stereo and uploading battle trophies were what I picked. I know universal is the hardest mode but I was feeling spiteful and convinced that I would die within the first five seconds. Then the TV broke.

The game just…froze up. Lines of static like the bar code on groceries were undulating up and down the screen. The music was drowned out by the hiss of what I knew to be a broken TV set. I sat there in horror. My incompatibility with technology had struck again. If I had broken her game…Cassie was going to kill me.

I leapt for the TV, intent on turning it off. But in my haste I don't think that I had quite managed to set the controller down before I jumped. The cord caught on my legs and I went down, pin wheeling my arms helplessly. The TV glass screen against my equally hard noggin…who will be the victor?

Turns out it was no one. The TV approached…and I fell through it. Cassie suddenly stopped banging her door. I remember thinking; _oh this is nice_ before I lost touch with myself and reality.


	2. Whoa! What Happened?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Jack. Slavery is illegal.

Insert Destiny : Whoa…what happened?

I jolted awake with a start and made like a vacuum by sucking air into my lungs. In the first couple of seconds, I had almost managed to convince myself that it had all been a dream. That I was still on the couch at home and that I never fell through the TV. But then the major differences glared out at me. Or spoke.

"Dad? Are you ok? Should I get Mom?" I stared at him. It was a small person, about five feet tall, wearing Hawaiian shorts, basketball jersey and sandals. Mess of brown hair on top of his head and prominent blue eyes. _Tylan._

"Nothing," I told him. Not at all interested in finding out whom the mother was if he mistakenly thinks I'm his father. I don't have any kids. "It was only a bad dream." _That I am hoping will be over soon_, I thought to myself. The kid nodded, then ran off. I watched him go completely and thoroughly confused. I was sitting on a couch…but that was where the similarity ended. The couch back home was _nowhere _near this comfortable.

There were other things I noticed, of course. I was facing a floor of metal, and was in front of a window showing me the vision of what could only be space. A giant expanse of black, riddled with stars that appeared to be streaking past us. People of all kinds wandered around, talking, eating; scolding their children…one in particular caught my attention. It was the creepy kid from before, talking with a blue haired woman I guessed to be his mother. Some part of me hoped not because she had three eyes. And another, lonelier and more abandoned part wouldn't have minded. My mind came up with names that I never remembered hearing. _Tylan _was the boy, _Keras_ the other. Eventually though, I couldn't take it anymore and looked away.

Why was I here? My usual humor had deserted me and I mourned its loss. I was, by all intents and purposes, within Star Ocean. Not sure where or how but I guessed the location to be ship and the view outside that of gravitic warp. Star Trek moment… For some reason the person who put me here decided to give me a family but was there a darker purpose? There were too many plot twists in this story line for me to recall accurately from what Cassie told me but I do remember the ending-of-the-universe. Fayt does an ok job by himself…why am I here?

I think too much. There was the source of all my problems. I am in a game destined for victory? No problem with that. I now have a family of my own like I always wanted? Extra points. Living in the future? That has been the dream of everyone else from my era, what was I so worried about? Well, besides the Vendeen, Executioners and who ever else with malicious intent but really, life's a beach. Take the time to hit it!

That stirred something in me. A sense of guilt. Memories started to flash in front of my eyes about actually being a part of this universe, a part of this time. It was…a bit frightening to suddenly have all of the current history and a whole new life shoved into my head. For a moment, I thought I would explode and take everyone with me but like a blow to the head, I suddenly became numb enough to understand.

I had been a workaholic. Sitting at my desk crunching numbers and weighing cargo with the dimensions of my ship all night, I never really paid attention to my family. Until I suffered from nervous breakdown and my first stroke. Something tickled my mind telling me that I was too young and in too good health for a stroke but it received little attention. After it and a week in recovery I decided to take my family for a vacation on Hyda IV. What disturbed me is that it sounded like me when I was younger. A sudden change of heart after a near-death experience was too easy to believe.

Ah well, what can you do? I was here and that's a fact. No sense stressing out over it. I stretched and after a heated mental debate, I headed over to what could very well be my son and wife in this world. My memories were still fragmented; they would be the first to know if I wasn't me. Then I could be assured that I was a hitchhiker and not completely intended. At least, that's what I thought.

"Kevin, you all right? Sleep well?" I nodded taking in their stances... and the fact that my first name was the same. "Well that's good. We should be arriving at Hyda IV any minute now." They were completely relaxed. They trusted me, or, who I was supposed to be. I decided not to be suspicious.

"When did they announce that?"

"Right after you fell asleep Dad." Tylan stated matter-of-factly but I could tell he was excited. "Mom, will Fayt be there?" Now THIS caught my attention.

"Yes, but you must remember that Fayt is in college now. He might have homework." I snorted without knowing why.

"Knowing Fayt, he'll probably play games the whole time regardless," popped out of my mouth before I could even think about holding it back. The whole thing was surreal as they giggled.

"He does have that tendency, doesn't he? He's been like that ever since he was four." Hold on…how did she know Fayt when he was four? She turned to the small one among us. "But even so, Ryoko told me that he's bringing his friend Sophia along. He might not want to be with you all the time." Tylan scrunched up his face in disgust.

"A friend? Like a _girlfriend?_" I almost laughed at the amount of detest that he managed to strain through the word. But Sophia was a new one to me...and to Tylan too so I deemed it safe to ask.

"Do we know her?"

"Of course we do! You remember the Esteed's, they came to Tylan's first birthday?" I racked my brain but found nothing.

"Uh…" I said intelligently. She rolled her eyes at me and for the first time she was more my wife than an abstract concept. Exasperation with my apparently limited intellect I could deal with.

"I worked with them under Leingod about 9 years ago? Remember the time when I was away often…" That brought up a memory of eating my own cooking for a month and how bad it tasted. That memory was definitely of me all right. I can't cook to save my life. The recognition must have showed on my face because she turned away to watch Tylan dribble a holographic basketball and stopped bothering me.

The basketball held my attention for a while, but then I remembered something about Symbological Genetics and had to find out a little more info. I walked over and motioned for Tylan to pass the ball. It felt almost real but not quite…more on that later.

"Excited?" he nodded vigorously as he caught the ball I threw at him.

"I can't wait to see Aunt Ryoko and Uncle Robert again." I caught the ball and tossed it back. "Oh yea, and Fayt too." He said grinning. Were we related? That was almost a scary thought. Keras wasn't human, the extra eye kind of alerted me to that fact; I assumed Robert and Ryoko were, so that left me. I nearly missed the ball. The ship jolted to a stop and lights lit up around us.

"This transport shuttle has arrived at the docking bay of Hyda IV. Will all passengers gather their belongings and proceed to the exit. Thank you for traveling with us and enjoy your stay on Hyda IV." I decided then and there that artificial computer voices were a sin. Audio torture should not be allowed. It was the kind of voice that informed dying patients that their last minutes alive were upon them like it was the weather.

The ball disappeared and Keras did the opposite and popped up next to us. I was happy to note that I wasn't the only one who jumped.

"Ready to go?" As we exited, I couldn't help but to feel as if I had made an irreversible choice some when. As if I had signed something in blood and it left me uneasy, light headed and weak. A resort and vacation sounded nice but already I was faced with a major deviation from the plot. It didn't make me feel any better about being here. But I am stubborn and will go down laughing. I was probably thinking too much.

"Whoa…" I had to agree with him. The hotel was gorgeous. It was almost unfair that the game had hotels like this but its creator has no access to this stuff. Almost. I was here, wasn't I?

"Alright you two, I'll check us in." Guess someone is looking after me to give me a wife with a dominant personality. I would probably just look like an idiot, considering I had no idea what my name was, the details of the reservation of anything other than "Hi, I'm Kevin. I was sucked into a game and now I am here with my wife and kid that were made up out of thin air. Can we stay at your hotel?" I had a feeling that wasn't going to fly.

Tylan dragged me to the lounge. Others were there, one kid mumbling about defeating a bugged character which didn't make sense to me. If it was bugged, then why bother defeating something that's invincible by default? Tylan soon struck up a conversation with the weird kid while I noticed a guy in an orange shirt and jeans looking lost. I kicked myself. _People are people, fake or not. So go over there and help him, even if you don't know anything! _

"Hey, you look pretty lost…can I help you?" That was corny. When the guy looked at me I wanted a gun so I could shoot myself so I could avoid embarrassment.

"Yea…these 'combat simulators' don't make any sense to me. Holographics were never my thing, you know? I'd rather use a joystick like those old games." I gaped. I was not alone in the world! Universe…whatever.

"Do any still exist?" The man shook his head.

"I will have to find out I suppose but what if I am the only one who wants it? I can't call the supplier to make a game available that no one wants to play." He was awfully altruistic. That's not a bad thing, per se but being always mindful of others puts you on the backburner.

"Well, I wouldn't mind playing with joysticks. That makes two, go for it."

"I'll think about it." I just shrugged, good deed done for the day. But the 'combat simulators' sounded kind of cool and I wasn't the type of person to let a challenge mosey on by me.

"Say Tylan, want to take a spin in the sim?" Said boy jerked away from his friend with his eyes wide.

"Would you really?"

"Course." I said curtly, feeling slightly insulted that he didn't believe me. But nothing ticks me off for more than a couple of minutes so I easily shrugged it off. He left the guy still mumbling and we approached the door with the computer next to it. I let the kid take over and just watched him. I had no idea what I was doing, but no need to let other people know that.

"Computer, start."

"Player 1: Kevin Algemeiner. Character: Sword master Creese Williams. User level: E

Player 2: Tylan Dural-Algemeiner. Character: Rifleman Sarge Zeronis. User level: B.

Location: Underwater City of Intian. Monster level: E. Continue?" I raised my eyebrow at the "Algemeiner" bit but at least I now knew what my last name was. I wonder what the "Dural" in front of Tylan's name meant. Probably his mother's name like the Mexicans did it. Keras Dural…I could see that being the case.

"This Simulation System may abort a game if it detects that player safety is at risk."

"Fine, just start."

"Confirmed. Commencing game."

Holographics are nice. Just to let you know. The wire frame armor and sword that appeared was nothing like I expected. Maybe the computer explained things; I certainly didn't know the rules since I kind of tuned out the annoying voice after a while. But hey, hack and slash should be easy enough.

The floating ball of flesh with one eye and wings was not expected to fly at my face as soon as the game started. I think that should be called cheating.

"WHOA!" I dived onto the floor, feeling my hair rustle as the monster brushed it. I absently noted that my hair was longer than I remembered as I stood up again. A walking stick with axes tried to chop off my feet while distracted, but I sidestepped and neatly severed the…thing…in half. It was easier than I expected then again…I have the feeling that this is the easy level. The gargoyle nearly took my head off again. But it didn't because it exploded in a stream of data, then disappeared. It kind of made me remember that the little guy with the gun was in here too. Made me kind of glad he was as the dive on the floor ensured me that pain exists.

"You ok, Dad?" I nodded. "Think we should check on Mom?" I nodded again, but inside I was pretty happy. The combat simulator? I liked what I saw. What can you do? If it's what you like then go for it! No more easy levels for me.

Outside, Keras was waiting for us. "I thought you two might be playing. Here," she handed us some weird black objects with an unlit light. "These are your cardkeys. Keep them on you; it lets the hotel know where you are." Tylan pocketed his but I hesitated. It certainly didn't look like a cardkey. Looked more like a weird black box with an unlit light to me.

"How do these work?" They both stared at me. I began to feel like an idiot until Keras opened her mouth. "Oh, that's right. The stroke might have damaged some things that the cellular regeneration couldn't fix. Might explain why the Esteeds slipped your mind." I simply accepted the excuse, I wasn't about to tell her differently! "These cardkeys once turned on can only be turned off by the staff when you check out. It only gives a 'safe' signal when it is near your DNA signature. Keep it on you or the hotel might get suspicious and we don't want any trouble, now do we Kevin?" Now her tone was familiar.

"Yes, dear. As you wish." Tylan rolled his eyes like this had happened before. Strange thing that, as I certainly have no memory of it.

"Mom, when are the Leingods coming?"

"Sometime tomorrow dear." She then looked at me. "Tylan here does have homework of his own to do," a tiny groan could be heard and I almost pitied him. His mother is a hard woman. "And I have work to do, this is your vacation Kevin. Use it please." I just nodded, it was becoming a habit. But I did wonder what this 'work' of hers was. Genetics project was 9 years ago, what is she working on? Tylan skulked off, following Keras. I turned back to the sims. How did Tylan end the game when he saw me on the verge of death? No matter, I wouldn't need it.

I take it back. When I stumbled into a random room, black and blue, I was feeling the pain of every one of my mistakes. Having to play the game to its fullest because I was too stubborn to let an annoying computer get the best of me was my biggest mistake.

I was quickly tossed out of the room. However, it was almost worth it for the secret of how game characters can walk into homes and rooms like no one has ever heard of locks. My cardkey resonated slightly in my pocket as I approached doors. The closer I got to a door, the stronger the vibration and when it seemed like I wanted to enter, the door in question opened. When a certain door came up, 105, the vibrancy increased more than usual. Guessing it was my room, I entered that one. Keras was seated at the desk in front of a computer screen that looked like it displayed suspicious DNA patterns. Tylan was no where to be found. Again, I decided not to be out of character.

"Where's Tylan?" She shifted uncomfortably on her chair.

"He managed to convince me to let him do Math on the beach. Smooth talker, that one." Tylan, with his messy hair and innocence was hard to imagine as a manipulative person, but because you couldn't you could see exactly why he could be. Managed to confuse you yet? Don't worry, I'll keep on trying.

"So…what are you working on exactly?" Not the most tactful but I wanted some answers, no, _deserved_ some answers in my opinion.

"Well," she crossed her legs absentmindedly. "You do know that the Destruction gene was experimental?" I shrugged. Personally, I didn't believe her. Tell that to Fayt and see what he thinks.

"Ever since he showed me the second copy of it, I can't help but to feel that we did something wrong with this one." SECOND COPY!? Since when…was there a second copy of the gene? Maybe I had missed something somewhere…Cassie's notes said nothing about this. My memory is bad, but it isn't that bad. If she noticed my distress, she pretended not to. "Based on all my simulations, this one is hard to control since it doesn't appear to be attached right. With Symbology, the runes have to be inscribed perfectly. If not the energy is not contained but this gene keeps the energy from harming the user, an afterthought of Robert's." Her eyes, all three of them, began to look distant and I suddenly felt keenly my displacement. I didn't belong here. She was as strange to me as another world was.

"This gene will be more powerful than the original." She whispered sadly. Then she noticed that I was still there. Making me feel appreciated. "At least, that is what the simulations say."

"Is that why Robert and Ryoko are coming to meet us?" I couldn't bring myself to feel betrayed by the fact that 'I' had been manipulated. This wasn't my world.

"Part of it, yes." I raised an eyebrow.

"Part?"

"Why yes," she gave me a small smile. "Tylan has been dying to meet his cousin Fayt again. And you didn't seem to object to meeting your sister either." Oops. "Don't worry about it, your mind would get fuzzy at times." The stroke excuse again but this time I had the distinct feeling that she knew what was going on, or at least knew more than I did about the circumstances of my "stroke." But I gave it up. What can you do? If it was really important, someone would tell me something. I really should stop thinking so much. It's ruining my in-game experience.

Going to sleep wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. She decided to stay up to continue working on the very disturbing idea of a second Destruction gene. I monopolized the bed and my body was too tired to do anything else but sleep. But my mind was not so easy to fool. It knew that the Leingods were coming tomorrow, that the Vendeen's were coming after that, and a whole bunch of destruction and chaos to follow.

Apparently, Ryoko is my sister or something…meaning that Fayt is my nephew. My apparent son, Tylan is Fayt's cousin and all of the adults were involved in the Leingod's research in Symbological Genetics as either the researcher or the guinea pig. I wasn't exactly sure what my role in all of this was, but I was beginning to have a bad feeling about it. Cassie's notes (which I conveniently found in my pocket by the way…which smells fishy) were no longer reliable. The entire plot was messed up already with my presence. We might win, or I would say something stupid and distract Fayt resulting in the deaths of us all.

My mind was going in circles even after my body had shut down, thoughts whirling around in the forms of shallow dreams. I couldn't bring myself to worry about it. Maybe I was still convinced that it was a game, that this was part of the natural programming. After all, who knows what they could have come up with in twenty years? Or maybe it was the fact that I have never completely grown up yet. Maybe my divorce still hasn't taught me how to be an adult. Maybe I longed for adventure still, or maybe it was the opposite. Perhaps, through my new family this world has become real and I can't see myself getting involved anymore than just a happy observer. Or maybe…I instinctively knew that I couldn't be touched…in the form of a Destruction gene.

I hope not.

Because that…would be bad.

Tell me what you guys think!


	3. Three Leingods and One Esteed

Insert Destiny 2: Three Leingods and One Esteed

* * *

_      Well, now you know the beginning. I, an aging divorcee whose closet thing he has ever had to a child was the product of his wife and another man. Kind of sad, I think it actually reinforced my attitude of laughing at the world, even as I am spitting out blood. I was sucked into Star Ocean and suddenly had a lot more than I could have dreamed of. I was fairly well off, had a son who seemed to adore me like some hero. A wife that is smart enough to be recognized by what I now know to have been the Federation as Robert Leingod's "equal". Granted, she was a Tetrageniot, but that was a small detail. I remember how much the concept of another Destruction gene scared me. One was enough, but I didn't understand why it had been made then, it took a while to get it. I was once again laughing at the world and not too bothered by it, my mind occupied by meeting the game's main character and his parents._

* * *

      I woke up with Keras already gone and Tylan bouncing on the bed…way too cheerful than what should be allowed for eight in the morning.

      "Wanna go to the combat simulator again?" I peered at him from sleep filled eyes.

      "Homework done?" I asked…maybe that would get him to back off…

      "All of it. Had Mom check it too just in case you were going to ask." I snapped my mouth shut with an audible _click!_ I had been about to ask.

      "So I am guessing that you woke her up like you did me." Kids…have too much energy. I was forced to get up and get ready for a day that I wasn't really looking forward to. I was mildly surprised that my joints didn't scream in protest as they had been doing for the past two years but it was a pleasant surprise. Who would complain about the onset of arthritis being magically cured? Not me.

      Once again I was dragged down to the lounge but then we got sidetracked by a mop of blue hair and a massive hug.

      "Uncle Kev!" It took me a while to get my vision under control so that I could identify the person but once I did I felt my blood go cold.

      "Heya Fayt!" Tylan piped up and the young man turned and gave Tylan an equally strong hug.

      "Nice to see guys again. When did you get here?" I composed myself in fear that I would breakdown and collapse or something.

      "Just yesterday." I managed to get out. "How was your ride over?" _He's family_ I kept repeating to myself. _There is no need to suddenly get so stiff. He's not going to lose control and blast me. _I fingered Cassie's notes, nervous in spite of myself.

      "It was great, a little boring but I can handle it." The clearing of someone's throat could be heard behind Fayt, who suddenly looked a little embarrassed. He turned and I got my first good look at a very innocent looking girl with brown hair done up in a ponytail. Her expression might have been annoyed, but it was hard to tell. She was just so _adorable!_

      "Sorry, Sophia. This is the uncle I was talking about, my mom's brother, Kevin. Uncle Kev, this is my friend Sophia. I don't think you've met."

      "We haven't." I agreed. I thought to keep it short since Tylan might feel a little left out but when I checked he was heading towards the sims already. Good thing I spotted him or I'd give myself a heart attack thinking I lost him.

      Sophia looked at me, then at Fayt. "Um, is he the one that rebelled against the family and changed his name to Algemeiner?" My eyebrows disappeared into my hairline. Fayt looked apologetic but nodded his head in confirmation.

      "Yeah, granddad could be controlling at times. He almost forbid mom to marry my dad too. He doesn't like scientists very much." There was obviously something that I am missing about this family. A lot missing.

     "Say, Uncle Kev, have you tried the simulators?" I nodded. "Want to play a game?" Sophia huffed and stalked off, annoyed that Fayt wanted to play a game than hang around with her I guess. I am not sure I could blame him. The girl was cute, don't get me wrong, but she was also too subtle in her ways. Fayt probably had no idea. The girl was a master at being unassuming, unfortunately for her, Fayt was a bit too dense for her feminine wiles to work.

      I wasn't insulting him, just stating the facts.

      Tylan was waiting for us. "Ok, you guys ready? I already put the data in." We walked inside and the computer ran through its script again.

      "Player 1: Tylan Dural-Algemeiner. Character: Rifleman Sarge Zeronis. User level: B."

      "Been slacking, Ty?" The boy simply shrugged.

      "Player 2: Kevin Algemeiner. Character: Sword master Creese Williams. User level: B." Booyah!

      "Player 3: Fayt Leingod. Character: Sword master Adonis Klein. User level: A. Location: Abandoned Spires of Axon. Monster level: B. Continue?" I caught the two of them staring at me.

      "What?" They looked at each other.

      "Dad, you were E last time I checked."

      "Uncle Kev, you were always too busy to play games." Fayt's comment hurt. Not because some blue haired collection of pixels was accusing me of not having fun, but because that sounded like me. Like how I could have been had I always lived in this universe. A futile attempt to be someone other than me convinced that I should be 'grown up.'

      The implications about how much someone out there knew about me was not so easy to shrug off.

      "Well, yesterday I just about killed myself fighting monsters. I would be mad if I didn't at least level up." The bruises were there. It was a half truth. I wasn't going to answer Fayt's unspoken question: _So Uncle Kev, what changed?_ I wasn't going to tell anyone that I 'knew' the future and wanted to be able to kick some ass of my own when the time came. That would be awkward.

      "Ok, we're ready."

      "This Simulation System may abort a game if-"

      "We know that. Just start." Fayt was a little impatient it seemed. When the Spires faded into view and my armor formed around me I felt a little different. Like I could make a difference, like I could take on anything the cheating system threw at me and win. It was probably arrogance or stupidity.

      There were about seven monsters for three people. Fayt was to my left with his sword and a slight haughty expression on his face. Tylan was setting his gun against his shoulder calmly.

      "Ready?" They both nodded. "Then let's dance!" I rushed forward trying to ignore the tiny voice that told me that I was being suicidal. I heard Fayt stutter a warning then follow me. I aimed for the orcish thing and was vaguely aware that a gargoyle was closing in. It exploded with Tylan's shot. The orc swung its axe around and I ducked, feeling the familiar whistle of wind. While it was overbalanced I swung upward and cut into its chest with ease. Two down. Fayt dodged an overhead swing of the lizardman and swung at its head. It simply raised its other sword to block. It grinned at Fayt's startled expression but grinned no more when a holographic bullet took it out.

      My lizard-freak also had twin swords and bad breath. I feinted and stabbed forward. It was blocked easily and I had a hard time staying alive after that. Parrying double swords were harder than it looked, which was pretty hard in the first place. Left, right, up, diagonal, up, right again went my sword. The guy had a nasty habit of trying to chop my head off. That gave me an idea.

      Tylan was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He had a tiger thing after him and Fayt had locked swords with the third lizard, an orc's body decaying quickly at his feet. After the next block I turned tail and headed for Tylan.

      "Heads up!" I threw the sword at the tiger and skewered it when its attention was on the boy. Tylan, now free whirled and got a sweet head shot at the lizard after me and Fayt's opponent.

      "Thanks, Ty."

      "Don't thank me, thank Dad." Fayt looked at me, a small grateful smile.

      "Then, thanks, Uncle Kev." I nodded, my throat feeling oddly tight.

      "Don't thank me, but you kids hungry?" As if on cue, all three of our stomachs growled.

      We headed for the café. The place wasn't exactly crowded, but it wasn't empty either.

      "There's mom and Aunt Ryoko!" Tylan zipped off and was swallowed by the people. Me and Fayt just stood there, trying to figure out if the boy was hallucinating or if we were blind. It shouldn't be _that_ hard to find more blue haired people. How many could there possibly be?

      It still took us about ten minutes to find them.

      "Hey, Aunt Keras. Hi, mom." The women looked up from the laptop. Ryoko adjusted her hat while I stared hard at her. She didn't _look_ like me…

      "Hello, you two. Tylan is already grabbing lunch. If you want him, he's heading out to the beach with Robert later." Fayt nodded and headed towards the counter. Ryoko stood up and we faced each other awkwardly.

      "It's…been a while Kevin." I said nothing. What was there to say? "How are your memories, everything alright?" I shrugged.

      "They're still fragmented. They come and go." Which was true. I was tempted to tell her that I could remember nothing about my 'stroke' but I held myself back. If it was important, I would find out sooner or later. Knowing now will only prolong the worrying period says I.

      There was nothing else to say so I left for food. I wondered why the tense atmosphere was there. It wasn't just me, Ryoko also seemed uncomfortable, even more so after I mentioned that my memories weren't consistent.

      There was something mysterious about the whole matter, but my stomach demanded offerings of food in order to spare my life and not smite me where I stand. Beware the almighty stomach. Ruler of nations.

     Synthesized food seemed to be good enough for the stomach god's blessing so I hit the beach afterward. Sophia was out there, sulking in the sand but I saw no sign of Fayt. He was probably playing the game again. Predictable Fayt. He had a good heart, wasn't that lazy but when his mind was stuck on something…it was stuck.

      "Bored, Sophia?" She merely glanced at me then looked away. Decked out in bright yellow trunks and blue top I probably wasn't the most pleasing sight around. "Is Fayt playing games again?"

      "Yeah…he spends way too much time on those kind of things. If he isn't careful, his grades will suffer."

      "But you are more worried about how he isn't spending time with you instead." She jumped up, then glared at me.

     "That's not what I meant!" I waved her down.

      "Calm down, down girl. I meant nothing by it." She relaxed but the worried face never faded.

      "You're his uncle, right?" I nodded. "Do you know why he likes games so much?" I didn't have an answer so…

      "Ask Keras. She says Fayt's been that way since he was four."

       "Four? But…that would mean that she's…" her face twisted in mild concentration, confusing me. What was the big deal about Fayt and four? I don't think "they both begin with 'F'" is the answer.

      "That would mean she's about 38 now."

      "And?"

      "But wouldn't that make you younger than her then?" EH? Before I could ask what my age was, as weird as it would be, Tylan came running up.

      "Dad, Aunt Ryoko wants to talk to you. She's by the umbrellas." I made my way over slowly, wondering what the problem was.

      "Please sit down." I did so. The ocean was a beautiful sight, according to the Tetrageniot employee (it's what her name tag said, don't ask me) the beach was all organic but no salt. I wondered how could anyone float then?

      "Kevin, you aren't still mad at me are you?" I whipped my head around so fast, I think I gave myself an injury.

      "Mad at you? For what?"

      "You…you don't remember that either?" Confused could not even begin to describe what I was feeling. This amnesia thing was getting old. Fast. Ryoko sat back into her chair and simply stared out.

      "After you were adopted, you never fully became my brother, you know." Well, that explains the lack of resemblance. "You basically forced me to go through with my marriage to Robert. 'Screw father, don't do what he wants, do what you want', remember that?" This was getting scary. Kevin Alegemeiner had more influence than I thought.

      "That doesn't explain why I would be mad at you." Her eyes closed.

       "We lost contact after the wedding, do you know why?" Why did she keep asking me these questions when it was obvious that I had the IQ of beef jerky? "I told you that I wanted Father's approval, because you had it, no matter what you did. You got angry, and you left." My mouth dropped open into a small 'O'.

     "I never heard from you directly again until the Genetics Project, then you were gone again before I got up my courage. I just wanted to say, thank you for being my brother. This...vacation, never mind. Just take care of yourself ok?" I think I was frozen to the chair. When Robert came, I was only too happy throw myself off it. I made a beeline for the sims. I didn't trust myself to think about how deeply this "Kevin" was into this reality, but killing monsters was something else entirely. I entered the lounge to see Fayt collapse on a chair. Sophia approached, then shoved a soda in his face.

     "Whoa!"

      "Here you go!"

      "Ah, hi Sophia… You startled me. I thought you were swimming down at the beach."

      "I was waiting for you but you never came! You said you'd play a few games then head right over…"

      "And you believed him?" I cut in. I would have been happy to let Sophia harp on the poor boy but I wasn't that cruel.

     "Oh, hi Uncle Kev."

      "Fayt here said that he had 'tons of homework to do' before we got here, isn't that right Fayt?" I stood there, good deed done for the day. If Sophia was still mad at him, there was no way I was getting involved.

     "Uh, I'm sorry! I didn't plan on staying so long, but I got kind of sucked in…" he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

      "That's what I thought had happened." I began to feel odd watching them, as if this was set in stone and I shouldn't interrupt. The way my intrusion was sloughed off like mud, the feeling of being ignored even though I knew that they both acknowledged me made me feel uneasy. And a bit angry. I had been dragged into a TV set, traumatized by finding myself in a game, have a very mysterious history attached to my backside and now I was being ignored? No way.

      "Sophia, maybe instead of getting Fayt to stop playing games, wouldn't it be better if you played a game too?"

      "But…"

      "That's right, Sophia," Fayt jumped in seeing his chance. "Why don't you try it and see how fun it is?"

      "But isn't it a combat simulator? Don't you have to fight? No can do, I don't like these kind of games." Once more I felt like I was being ignored…whatever it was, it was stubborn. It was like they were following a script.

      "But first, Fayt, you owe her the beach." They both stared at me blankly. "You weren't there when she was swimming…you owe her the beach, remember?" They blinked.

      "Yes…the…beach." Sophia started slowly. It was kind of freaky. "I swam enough. While someone I know was having the time of his life playing games all by himself!"

      "So…do you want to take a walk through the hotel? I bet it'll be fun. What do you say? C'mon! Please! Pretty please?" It was odd and annoying how quickly she became mad at him again. Whatever was dictating their movements, I was determined to break it. As far as I was concerned, after the talk with Ryoko I had kind of earned the right to be more than an observer.

       "I don't think the walk is a good idea. You'll probably end up barging into people's rooms. We don't want trouble." I said, trying to sound authoritative. An uncle had some rights.

      "Then what did you have in mind?" Now that was a good question. What to do…"I'm going to ask the hotel if they have boat rides or something. Tours of Hyda, you guys coming?" They became still as statues and then…flickered. I don't know how else to explain it. They disappeared for the shortest of moments.

      "Sure thing, Uncle Kev."

      "That sounds like it could be fun, why not?" As I led them to the main desk, I couldn't help but wonder what had gone on back there. I broke something. I know I did. Supposedly, this universe is a game, making me sucked into a game within a game. I broke the Eternal Sphere somehow. My technological incompatibility strikes back!

       I felt good about it.

       What can you do? In the words of scientists everywhere, "If it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough applications." No thinking…gut instinct only is the motto. My head was ruining my in-game experience.

* * *

I hope my pitiful attempt at a battle scene didn't hurt too badly. Like always, tell me what you think!


	4. The Last Hours

Insert Destiny 3: The Last Hours

* * *

_ And I tried so very hard to stick by that motto of 'gut instinct only'. It didn't last very long. There is only so much you can laugh off, especially when there is nothing funny to be found. I had made my first successful deviation from the plot. I felt proud of it, unknowing of the troubles it would bring. In a way, I did break the Eternal Sphere. The programming had become twisted, allowing me into the equation. I had found out so much about this 'Kevin Algemeiner'…he was me. Exactly how I would have been had I been born into the Eternal Sphere. Couldn't cook to save his life, intent on growing up but in the end always the same rebellious, childish person he had always been. Kevin was in for a change though. It's all fun and games until someone loses their life. _

* * *

The boat ride was actually pretty relaxing. The air was clean due to lack of salt, and the water clear. We were all pretty quiet, listening to the tour guide ramble on about the artificial world.

"Wow." I turned to see Sophia leaning over the boat's side a little, peering into the water. Fayt shifted to look as well.

"Whoa! It's huge!" Now interested, I looked over and stared at a massive jellyfish floating in the water. It's bulbous whatever were multicoloured, a shimmering rainbow it seemed and the tentacles stretched on for a few yards. I turned to the guide.

"Is that thing dangerous?" After all, jellyfish aren't the most harmless things to come across. The guide shook his head and smiled.

"Nah, all of the animals here have been genetically altered so that they aren't dangerous to people. You're looking at a Portuguese Man-Of-War, modified to become bigger as well as take away the fatal venom. It feeds solely on freshwater plankton, it won't sting you." I backed away from the water though, slightly uneasy. In my opinion, the only good jellyfish is a dead one that's miles away from me. I turned to look at the sky instead and my blood turned to ice.

"Get us back to the hotel, NOW!" I didn't recognize my voice. The guide jerked to look at me.

"Why? What are you-"he was cut off as a ball of fire slammed into the ocean to the right of us, overturning the ship. I heard Sophia scream, I think, and felt something slam into my head. My vision began to blur and start to get dark but then time seemed to freeze. I was floating in the water; Fayt's blue hair was visible somewhere to my left and Sophia's brown next to him. The guide was nowhere I could see.

_** Use the power wisely. It all begins now.**_ I didn't know who was talking or where the voice was coming from, but it made my skin crawl. My lungs began to burn and time started up again, I think. I don't know, I blacked out.

I came to with Fayt slapping me.

"Ow, ow! Ok, ok, I'm up!" I was suddenly engulfed in a fierce hug. "And now I can't breathe." The bluette pulled back, grinning weakly.

"You scared me, Uncle Kev. Come on, Sophia's at the transporter room." I didn't argue still pondering over this "power" I supposedly had, shying away from what seemed to be quite obvious.

We all got into the transporter, the hotel alarms giving me a massive headache. Underground, it didn't get any better, the noise rebounding off the metal walls.

"Mom, Dad!"

"Dad!" Fayt rushed over to his parents, Sophia following and I went over to Tylan. Well, more like he tackled _me_, Keras following him.

"Kevin." Keras' voice was empty and devoid, almost mechanical. I looked up slowly. Her face at a first glance was blank but you could see that just under the surface was brimming with sadness and regret.

"What is it, Keras?" I said gently, still holding Tylan who had started to cry. This was too much, everything, the alarms, the people, the explosions rocking the resort, I knew it would all happen but for some reason, it was far too real.

"Be careful." She shot a glance at the sealed door behind us. "You are important, so don't get yourself killed, alright?" I nodded. "Sorry about all of this." The door blew open.

"Damn! How'd they get in this far? Get going! Keep moving forward!"

What happened next was burned into my mind forever. Guards moved up but one was shot in the chest by a beam of light. The others instinctively turned away but I kept staring on. The man's chest area actually bubbled like it was boiling as it collapsed in on itself. Bile rose in my throat. Tylan was freed from my grip.

"Ty? Stay with Aunt Ryoko, alright?" The boy nodded and moved over.

"Run, you two!" I heard Robert shout.

"Uncle Robert?"

"Just get out of here!" I turned to Keras.

"Coming?" She shook her head and smiled sadly. Damn, I was thinking, how did it all go wrong so quickly?

"I know what they want. You need to get moving and look after Fayt and Sophia."

"But-!" She cut me off swiftly, pressing her lips against mine for a moment, then pushing me in the direction of the exit.

"Go. It all begins now." I took off running to catch up to my nephew before her words sunk in. I had heard them before. "Wait!" I turned around in time to see the room we just left erupt in flames. I turned cold and started to run again, my heart pounding in my head.

* * *

_Tylan, are you ok?_

"Uncle Kev! Look out!" I turned to see walking tin cans approach. _Keras, did you know?_ I wasn't thinking straight, I must have blacked out. The next thing I knew was that some strange girl in bells and a giant of a man were there helping out. _Did you know that I didn't belong? Did you?_ I don't remember picking up the pipe that was in my hands, but I swung it around anyway.

* * *

_You knew, right? And you still chose to play your part. Is this what being lost feels like?_

* * *

"Thanks for the help."

"No problemo. But we should get out of here. There'll be more of those things coming. It's already a complete disaster over that way. Come on, let's get outta here!"

* * *

_Aren't we all lost? What is going to happen to me now? To Robert, Ryoko, Tylan, Fayt, Sophia…you? Do you know?_ I only vaguely registered Fayt kicking and screaming as the giant threw him over his shoulder. I felt like running back there myself but I realized that it was entirely possible that they ended up perfectly fine. That my presence hadn't changed that much, but I still worried.

* * *

_** You need to get moving and look after Fayt and Sophia.**_ I ran after the group, relaxing slightly. _You knew, didn't you?_

A short while later found me on the metal stairway, in the base used for refugees in case Hyda IV was attacked. I wasn't entirely aware of my thoughts, so I can't tell you what I was thinking but I suspect that this whole turn of events had caught me by surprise. It had been so intense. It was different…between watching it happen from a safe place or reading it…and actually being there. Actually having people you have come to care about torn away from you.

_ You need to get moving…_I almost cried and felt disgusted with myself when the tears refused to come. A small part of me still believed that this, the anguish on Fayt's face when he collapsed on the bed in our room, the quiet acceptance and fear in Sophia's, that Keras' voice in my head was all just a game.

"Did I make a mistake?" I looked up at the girl, a smile flickering. What was she so worried about? All her important people were here, safe together in a room but she looked as though she condemned someone to death. I shook my head and stared down the stairwell. Technically, this place was off limits but no one bothered to move me so I stayed. Damn the rules.

"Nah," I answered. "You didn't make a mistake. You saved my nephew's life, that's nothing to be ashamed of." Inwardly, I felt like a hypocrite. Fayt had to be dragged off…I left them all behind willingly. She must have seen the look on my face because the girl thrust a bronze hand in front of me.

"I'm Peppita, the magical Fairy of Illusions! And you are…?" Kids bounce back so quickly…I felt older than ever but I shook her hand.

"Kevin Algemeiner. Nice to meet you."

The room we had been given was small and cold due to the metal walls. Fayt was still passed out on his bed but Sophia was awake still, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey." She shifted but didn't make a move or answer back. I frowned. Great...not only one but two angsty teens in my care. This is going to be fun.

"What's going to happen to us?" I jumped, not expecting her to speak to me at all. I settled on my bed.

"Dunno, but I suppose we will just have to flow with it. Take what life throws at us," my eyes shifted to her form, "and make the best of things." She was quiet for a while.

"Don't you worry about them? Keras and Tylan? The Leingods?"

I sighed. "Honestly? Nope." She bolted upright, eyes blazing.

"How can you say that!?" Yikes…stirred something in the lioness' den did I? Sheesh. I waved her down, like I did before on the beach.

"Tylan is resourceful and Keras was not worried at all." White lie…she was quite worried, just not for herself or Tylan. She worried about me, even though I got away which smells downright suspicious. _You are important._ "If she isn't worried, and I know Tylan, why should I make matters worse? They're probably somewhere safe worrying about _us_. And the Leingods are the same. I trust them with Tylan's safety and I trust them to keep themselves safe. I can't do anything less." Sophia's righteous fury had died, now she just looked defeated. I couldn't figure out which was worse. "Go to sleep kiddo. Everything will turn out alright. Trust me." She lay back down and there was a minute or two of blissful silence when:

"Mr. Algemeiner?"

"Hmm?" Mr...I always hated being called anything other than Kevin. No titles. I used to throw a fit or at least protest. Used to...ARGH damn it I don't belong here!

"Will you stay?" My lips quirked. Ironic.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here when you wake up, alright?" I glanced around the room and caught Fayt with his eyes open before he shut them quickly, pretending to be asleep. But he was too late. I saw his eyes. They were sad beyond measure but there was hope there as well. I looked at them both. Sophia was drooling slightly on her pillow and Fayt's trademark mop of blue was sprawled out on the sheets. They were good kids, both of them, and they trusted me to make the world right again.

But I knew I couldn't do it.

* * *

And that's a wrap for this time folks! Read and Review please.

* * *


	5. Lost Myself

Insert Destiny 4: Insert Destiny

* * *

The first thing I had thought when I woke up was: _That damn alarm keeps ringing in my dreams too? Give me a break!_

"Uncle Kev! You gotta wake up!" And I did but I cast a particularly nasty glare Fayt's way but the glare dropped when I realized that the alarms were indeed sounding.

"Fayt…What's that sound?" Sophia had also awoken and looked like a small mouse cornered by a snarling cat. The poor girl was terrified but was doing her best not to let it show.

"Don't worry; it sounds like they're going to make an announcement." The blaring suddenly stopped as I sat up.

"This is an update for all refugees. We now know that the recent raid on the resort planet Hyda was a surprise attack by the Vendeen." Fayt's face twisted into a slightly confused grimace. I kept an eye on him. He looked outwardly to be dealing well but you can never be too sure…

"Remote Station #7 mounted an attempt to defend Hyda IV, but it was thwarted by a tactical Vendeeni strike. Currently, the Pangalactic Administration is scrambling ships from surrounding regions, but Vendeeni forces still have control of this sector. We request that civilians begin boarding rescue shuttles for immediate evacuation to Remote Station #6. Please do not panic. Refer to the nearest console or attendant for further instructions." I couldn't help the smirk that appeared at "don't panic" after telling us outright that Vendeeni, the ones who attacked us mind you, were in control and we had to leave for our own safety. I jumped up and stretched.

"Alright, you heard it. Let's get a move on. Fayt?" He shrugged.

"I'm fine." I turned to Sophia who even smiled a bit.

"I'm fine as well. A little sleep helped calm me down." This was said with an apologetic glance, probably feeling sorry for biting my head off earlier. As I headed out the door, I saw Fayt give the console that sat in the room a thoughtful look before turning back around and walking out the door. As he passed me, he whispered, "We'll find them, right Uncle Kev?"

I swallowed. "Right!"

"Welcome to the Federation transport ship GFSS-12372 Helre. You must have been through a lot." _Understatement!_ "We will soon be departing for Remote Station #6. The observation bay is located directly through the corridor leading out of this room. Please wait there until we reach our destination. Gravitic warp will get us there shortly."

It didn't take very long to reach this so called "observation bay" but almost as soon as we did Sophia pointed out the crowd of people that had gathered around something.

"They're all watching something..." Fayt's head bobbed once then he was off, pushing his way to the center of the crowd with Sophia hot on his heels. I opted to skirt around the outside and take a quick peek.

It was almost hellish.

"My word..." someone behind me breathed but my eyes were currently seared to the screen. Hydra IV was no longer recognizable...it was starting to look more and more like a molten ball of ruin than a resort. I swore I even saw a mountain topple from laser fire. Of course I knew something like this would happen...didn't make it any easier to witness though.

_Tylan! Keras!_

My chest started to hurt for some reason, I guess it was all of the destruction. All of this...for what!? For some boy who didn't even know why this was all going on?

We were all drained after the ship entered gravitic warp, mentally and emotionally. Fayt and Sophia were out like lights on the couch and I couldn't help but to smile at the two of them. They really were good kids.

And they were my responsibility. The smile disappeared.

Damn. I really do think too much.

* * *

Let me say just this: There was a time when I would go to bathroom intending to brush my teeth or something and end up washing my hands instead. I like to call those moments when I can't remember why I went somewhere "black outs."

They were buggery little things but _this_ particular black out left me scratching my head. I was in the middle of a hall somewhere on the ship...but the time in between sitting in the observation bay and now were suspiciously missing.

Whatever.

"...I'll remember you! I'll use my influence to get you canned the second I reach Remote Station 6!"

"Be my guest." Oh, an ungrateful refugee, eh?

Then I blinked. What a minute...For no reason that I could tell (I didn't even see myself move as weird as that is) I had the fat ingrate up against the wall by his shirt collar. I dropped him, laughing nervously.

"Just...move along and forget that!" He didn't need to be told twice, bolting back down the hall leaving me standing there. _...the heck?_

The intercom crackled.

"This is your Captain speaking. Our ship is currently under attack by a Vendeeni battleship. Our gravitic warp engine has already been disabled, which means escape is not an option. All power has been diverted to our shields to buy us some time, but I wanted you all to know: our chances are slim. I had hoped to transport you all the way to Remote Station #6, but it seems that is now beyond my power. All evacuees are requested to proceed to the ship's escape pods. Please remain calm and follow the instructions of the attendant nearest you as you board your pod. …Good luck to you all."

My chest was hurting again. The crew...I suddenly knew that they were going to die. My hand twitched toward my pocket. Cassie's notes had said nothing about this. I started running down the hall in a random direction, snorting. Why would Cassie write it down?

The Helre crew were full of nobodies in the grand scheme of things. They were, heck, they were _programs._ A game within a game.

It still felt wrong.

"Uncle Kev!" Fayt had this weird thing with knocking the air out of my lungs. What was this, twice now?

"Fayt! The escape pods!" The bluette reluctantly pulled away.

"Right, right. Let's go." One of the leftover attendants quickly led us to where some pods were. Fayt and Sophia, the both of them were almost too late. Waiting for me to get back.

"Come on, get in Sophia!"

"I-You'll follow right after right?" He nodded with a small smile.

"Promise!" Once the pod closed we were whisked away again. And, would you believe it, the crew was saluting us as we passed. They were just standing there, next to empty pod tubes. My chest was hurting. Weird, huh?

"Your turn Fayt." I said, to get my mind off what I marked as 'dangerous territory.' At first, my nephew looked ready to argue but for some reason he closed his mouth without saying anything. Two down. My pod was most likely the last one on the entire ship but before I entered, I hugged the nearest crew member. Time limit be damned.

"Thanks, soldier." I murmured before climbing in. For a terrifying second, I forgot how to activate the dumb controls. There was a button I was supposed to press...but where!?

I pressed them all, praying. My exit was violent, sending the pod spinning for a moment or two but the spinning view port allowed me to look back at the Helre.

Or where it was. There was nothing but a vast expanse of space. I felt something wet fall onto my hand. I was crying. I haven't cried in years...

I wish I could tell you that I was crying for the people on that ship. For the Leingods, for my...for my _family_. But...

_"Kevin, what I want is a div-"_

* * *

_"You are not my father-!"_

* * *

_"If we had caught it sooner, we might be able to put you through chemothe-"_

* * *

_"You are important, so don't get yourself killed, alright?"_

* * *

I almost forgot I was Kevin Berger. And I was crying for my loss of self. God, how selfish was I?

The tears wouldn't stop, even when I played card games by myself, or listened to history lessons from the computer. I couldn't take my mind off of how quiet it suddenly was. Too quiet.

Dead quiet.

* * *

Just like always, tell me what you think!


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